Ukraine is an Eastern European country bordering Russia, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova. It also borders the Black Sea, providing it with a key port. The Ukraine and Russia dispute control of the Crimean Peninsula. Historically, control over the territory has been disputed, with claims made by Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Russia. After World War II, Ukraine became part of the USSR, though it gained independence in 1991. The Russian Civil War led to mass famine and millions of deaths in the late 1910s and early 1920s. St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery in the capital city of Kiev is one of Ukraine’s noted landmarks.